Cancer: Wife of Niger governor to serve on WHO group

The wife of Niger State governor, Amina Bello, has been appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, to serve as a member of the Expert Group for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer Initiative.

This was contained in a statement issued by her Chief Press Secretary, Aisha Wakaso, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Minna on Tuesday.

“According to WHO DG, members are to serve on an individual capacity and are requested to give the WHO the benefit of their knowledge and expertise, especially with regards to the countries in which they are working.

“The committee comprises of 15 members selected globally, with consideration for technical distribution of expertise, geographical representation and gender balance.

“Committee members will serve for a period of two years and eligibility for reappointment.

“In May 2018, the DG of WHO, issued a call to action towards the elimination of cervical cancer.

“The Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative of the WHO is aimed at equipping member states with the resources and technology required to meet the global target of cervical cancer elimination, as a public health problem,” she said.

According to Ms Wakaso, the function of the committee is to review from a strategic and technical standpoint, the content, scope and dimensions of the activities of the Initiative, including the research areas covered and approaches to be adopted, among others.

NAN reports that Mrs Bello is the founder of RAISE foundation, an NGO that focuses on the improvement in maternal and child health, women empowerment and girl-child education.